An efficient C0 finite element modeling of an inverse hyperbolic shear deformation theory for the flexural and stability analysis of laminated composite and sandwich plates

A computationally efficient C0 finite element model is developed for laminated composite and sandwich plates by implementing the inverse hyperbolic shear deformation theory recently developed by the authors. This model is used to determine responses of general laminates subjected to various combinations of boundary conditions. The present formulation has been generalized for all existing shear deformation theories involving shear strain function. An eight noded serendipity element with 56 degrees of freedom is used to discretize the plate domain. Influences of lamination sequence (cross ply and angle ply), span to thickness ratio, and boundary conditions are investigated for the flexural behavior of laminated composite and sandwich plates. Further, the stability behavior of plates subjected to in-plane loads (uni-axial and bi-axial) is investigated for a variety of examples. Effects of boundary conditions and applied loads on the critical buckling loads and buckling mode shapes are also assessed for a class of laminates in order to show the efficacy of the present mathematical technique to predict the buckling mode shapes.